


We Died Far from the Sky

by smaragdbird



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, M/M, Robot/Human Relationships, Together in Death, they're in love but they never talked about it., unspoken feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 19:32:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14456232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/pseuds/smaragdbird
Summary: Cassian has a bad feeling about this mission, about how easy it had been so far.He was right.





	We Died Far from the Sky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Artemis1000](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis1000/gifts).



> So this is mainly based around the alternative ending for Rogue One where there is one scene where Cassian and Kay are both lying in the sand outside the Scarif Base. I always wanted to write something about it ever since I saw it and then your letter said you didn't mind character death.

Cassian had bad feeling about this as he stood in the lift rushing down with Jyn and Kay. Earlier when Kay had said the same words out loud Cassian had interrupted him but now he couldn’t help but think that Kay had been right. It was too easy. Aside from the guard outside the archives they hadn’t been met with any resistance so far. No one had stopped them, no one had demanded why a trooper, an officer and a security droid where walking around while the base was being attacked.

Next to him Jyn brushed her hands nervously over her uniform jacket. She had clipped the data disk to her belt and hidden the whole thing beneath her bulky jacket that was just slightly too big for her to arouse suspicion if someone looked at them for long enough.

Kay hadn’t said anything since they had left the vault. Cassian reached out and brushed the tips of his fingers over Kay’s to reassure himself. Kay’s presence was often enough to calm Cassian’s nerves, which he would have never thought possible before they had met. Cassian had hated working with other people. Kay though, Kay was different. 

The touch of Cassian’s fingers was brief enough to barely qualify as a touch at all. But from the corner of his eye he could see Kay turn his head towards him. He would never have thought that the look from a droid could have such a weight to it but before he had started working with Kay Cassian hadn’t known a damn thing about droids.

The lift came to a stop on the ground floor. They still needed to make their way through the whole base and back to the lift that would bring them to the landing platform where Bodhi was waiting for them. If he was still waiting for them. Since the attack had begun Cassian hadn’t gotten any updates from the outside and kept his communicator silent to maintain his cover.

Cassian could hear Jyn take a deep breath beneath her helmet as the lift doors opened. They stepped out into an eerily quiet hallway. No battalion of stormtroopers greeted them here, no officer demanded to see their identification, no group of security droids shot at them on sight. 

Their footsteps echoed through the empty rooms and Cassian tried his best to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. This was too easy. Scarif was meant to be a suicide mission. It was not meant to be easy.

“This way”, Kay said and Cassian and Jyn followed him. Jyn straightened her jacket again, trying to hide the bulky data case beneath it. Cassian squared his shoulders and held his head high. He was supposed to be an officer of the Imperial military.

The closer they got the exit the more clearly they could the explosions outside and the shots and screaming. The fight was still going on. 

“If they’re still fighting then they probably close the shield”, Jyn said suddenly. Her eyes were very blue and very big beneath the slit in the helmet. She didn’t look like a hardened stormtrooper at all. “We won’t be able to leave.”

“Correction”, Kay said, “Bodhi won’t be able to leave. Sooner or later the Empire will send reinforcements and they’ll open the shield again.”

“But you told him - “Jyn broke off, understanding why Cassian had lied to Bodhi. He was the only one amongst them without any fighting skills, the only one who hadn’t killed yet. He still had hope and hope was dangerous. He hadn’t truly understood what he had volunteered for. 

The only thing Cassian could hope for was the fulfillment of their mission and a quick death.

Suddenly Kay stopped them, holding out his arm in front of Cassian. “Death troopers at the doors.”

“Death troopers?” Cassian hissed. “You didn’t say there were any of them stationed here.”

“There were not”, Kay replied. “They most likely came as the protection detail for someone of appropriate rank.”

“Krennic”, Jyn spat. “I saw him on Eadu.”

“Fuck”, Cassian balled his hand into a fist. He had been wrong about this being too easy. Stormtroopers were one thing, death troopers another. “How many?”

“Between four and eight at every exit. Though they are concentrating on keeping the insurgents out”, Kay said, tilting his head slightly as he always did when he was listening in to a radio signal. Cassian usually forbid him to enter any Imperial com systems when they undercover because someone might detect Kay’s aberrant code but as usual Kay hadn’t listened to him.

If he was being honest with himself Cassian also found the gesture somewhat adorable.

“So we can shoot them in the back before they notice us”, Jyn said, already reaching for her blaster.

“With only two blasters you have a 46.7% chance of incapacitate them all before one raises the alarm”, Kay replied.

“And what are the chances of our cover holding?” Cassian asked, despite already knowing the answer.

“3.8%”, Kay replied. 

“Here”, Jyn held her second blaster out to Kay. “How are our chances now?”

“Significantly better”, Kay said as he took the blaster. It looked comically small and dainty in his large hands.

“Let’s hope you’re as good as shooting as you always said”, Cassian muttered under his breath.

“Let’s hope you’re a better shot than pilot”, Kay replied, which, despite the situation made Cassian smile.

“Really, guys?” Jyn looked from one to the other. “Can’t you banter when we’re all off-planet?”

This time it was Kay who reached and just for a moment and out of Jyn’s sight, rested his hand on the back of Cassian’s neck for a moment. The cool touch of his metal fingers against Cassian’s skin made him shiver.

“Kay?” Cassian asked under his breath. “If we survive this remind me that there is something I need to tell you.”

“You could tell me now”, Kay replied, “Since there’s a 97.3% chance we won’t both survive.”

“Whose odds are better?”

“Mine.”

Cassian rolled his eyes fondly. Of course they were. “If I tell you now, I might chalk it up to adrenaline afterwards, just so I won’t have to face the consequences.”

“Organics are silly”, Kay decided loudly.

Jyn turned to them, having her checked her own blaster one last time. “Thought you knew that already.”

“Cassian is usually less silly than the rest of you.”

“Thanks, Kay”, Cassian replied. “Let’s go.”

/

As they stepped outside it was chaos. Shooting, screams, explosions and - ships. Rebellion ships. The Alliance had decided to back them up after all. Cassian felt a brief wave of relief and next to him Jyn cheered under her helmet.

“Bodhi?” Cassian activated his comlink, hoping that Bodhi might have a little more information about the situation.

“Cassian?” Bodhi sounded as cheerfully relieved as Jyn looked. “Cassian the Fleet is here. They know you have the plans and are trying to disable the shield. You need to come here as soon as possible.”

“We’re on our way”, Cassian replied. He briefly wondered how the Fleet knew but that was a question he could ask later when they were safe.

The lifts to the landing platforms had been disabled so they had no choice but to walk and trying to look inconspicuous. Which lasted for about two minutes before they were stopped by a group of sand troopers.

“Show us your identification”, the troop leader demanded. If he had been a deathtrooper, he would’ve already noticed that Kay was carrying a blaster he was not supposed to have.

“Of course”, Cassian held up one hand and reached for the cylinder on his uniform with the other. On the last moment he changed direction, grabbed his blaster and shot two troopers. Kay, having anticipated his move, shot four more in the same time, while Jyn caught the last one.

She ripped the helmet from her face and pulled the batons from her back, throwing them into the sand. “Guess we’ll have to make a run for it.”

Cassian nodded. “Be careful not to get shot by our own people.”

“Try to keep up”, Kay added.

Since Kay was the one with a map to the landing platform in his head they followed him as he zigzagged through groups of palm trees and shrubbery. Soon enough people were shooting at them, people from both sides. 

Cassian gave a quick order to Bodhi to tell the Rebellion troops not to shoot at them but he knew it would end up being taken more as a recommendation than an order. In a warzone you shot at everything that moved. Especially if it wore enemy colours.

They sprinted across the shallow waters near a curved beach, the landing platform and the shuttle already in sight when Cassian heard the tell-tale high pitched noise of a TIE fighter approaching them. There was no cover for them until they reached the other side of the beach.

“Jyn” Cassian cried, waving at her to go back to the palm trees behind them. She was carrying the plans; she was the most important one of them. But it was too late. The TIE dropped its payload and Cassian’s world exploded into sand and pain.

He couldn’t tell how long he had been unconscious. His ears were ringing with a loud, persistent tone that drowned out everything else. He tasted sand and blood and his whole body hurt as if he had been boxing with a wookie.

Cassian’s head rolled to the side when he tried to move. Sand obscured his view but he thought he could make out Kay only a couple meters from him. He tried to say his name but didn’t know if he had succeeded. In any case Kay didn’t react. He looked smaller, Cassian thought and couldn’t say why. 

He got up on his elbows and pulled himself towards Kay through the sand. It was hard and painful but Cassian needed to see how he was doing. Sparks were emitting from Kay’s right side where the explosion had ripped his arm off and his chassis open. Dazed Cassian put his hand over the gash. Kay wouldn’t like it if someone saw his insides like this.

“Kay”, Cassian tried to say his name again. “Kay.” His hand wrapped around Kay’s left arm and shook him. His photoreceptors were dull but that didn’t mean Kay couldn’t hear him. “Kay.”

“Cas...si...an….” It came through a lot of static and was barely audible but Cassian heard Kay say his name.

“I’m here, Kay”, Cassian said, pulling himself a little close, heaving his chest over Kay’s. “I’m here.”

“Cassian”, Jyn grabbed his shoulder. She seemed mostly fine, or at least she could still walk. “Cassian we need to go.”

Cassian shrugged off her hand.

“Cassian!” Jyn yelled at him, grabbing his shoulder again. She was trying to pull him away from Kay but Cassian stubbornly remained where he was.

“Cas...si...an….” Behind him he heard Jyn cry out in frustration. She needed to go. She needed to find Bodhi and the shuttle and bring the plans back to the Rebellion. Cassian had done his part. 

He took the comlink from his pocket and pressed it into her hand, hoping she’d understand.

“May the Force be with you”, he heard Jyn say, followed by running steps through the sand. 

“I’m here, Kay”, Cassian said, curling up on his chest. Some of the sparks were burning his skin but he did not mind. He took the suicide pill from its compartment and placed it between his lips. He would not be caught by the Empire.

“Y...ou...shou...ld….go…”

“I can’t”, Cassian said. it was a lie, maybe. if he wanted to he probably could get on his feet and stumble through the surf until he reached the shuttle, but why should he? The mission was up to Jyn now. Jyn and Bodhi.

“Li...ar…”

“You knew that already”, Cassian replied, reaching out to caress the uncharred side of Kay’s face. He didn’t know if Kay could feel it or not but that didn’t matter.

“Wha...t….you...tell...me?” Kay asked and Cassian couldn’t help but smile. Of course Kay would remember that even half-destroyed by a bomb. 

“I…” Cassian wanted to say it but he couldn’t find the words. The words most people would’ve used felt too trivial compared to what he was feeling, what he had been feeling for a while now, though he had been too scared to say anything about it. “I don’t want to see the galaxy without you, Kay.”  
Above them the shield fell apart in a beautiful ray of colourful light. And almost immediately afterwards the Death Star appeared in the skies over Scarif.

“You...a...re...sil..ly…”

“I can’t seem to help it”, Cassian said. 

“…would….not…go…with…out…you.” Kay said, his left hand finding its way into Cassian’s hair. And it stayed there as green light emitted from the Death Star. The shuttle was lifting up from the ground and Cassian prayed to a Force he didn’t believe in that Jyn and Bodhi would make it.


End file.
